Picture Perfect
by TheoBurr
Summary: Short one shot. Holly's coworker thinks Gail might have a crush on the doctor. Idea I got while reading a book about forensic anthropology.
1. Chapter 1

Holly sighed and pushed her glasses up as she rubbed her face with both hands. It had been a long day and she was more than ready to leave and grab a drink. Or three.

"Hey, Holly." Alice Sherman walked into the lab where Holly was working. She was messing with something on a camera as she walked in and Holly was shocked she didn't run into something the way she was focused.

"I thought you were gone already." Holly adjusted her glasses so she could actually see the person in front of her. "Don't you have a dinner date with your girlfriend to get to?"

"Katie's running late," said Alice as she pulled herself up onto the lab table. "So, I'm looking through this camera you brought me."

"From the burned house?"

Alice nodded, not looking up. Holly and Alice were friends but the young woman was also Holly's favorite forensic photographer. So when Alice was busy that morning helping guns and gangs, Holly was dealing with the remains of a couple in a burned down house and had to work with a photographer still wet behind the ears.

"Please tell me they didn't come out terribly," sighed Holly. "That's literally the last thing I need today considering it's looking like arson and not an accident."

"No, they're fine. I would have done better of course," said Alice. "But they're admissible and isn't that always the most important thing?"

"I would argue that being useable to figure out what happened is more important but admissible is pretty high up there," laughed Holly.

"Well, we do have our own priorities, Stewart." Alice looked up for the first time since entering the room and smirked. "But I think the rookie photographer has a crush on you."

"What? Booth? We barely spoke."

"Here, check this out."

Alice hopped off the table and rounded Holly's desk, obviously excited about the prospect of a newbie having a crush on her friend. She pushed the camera into Holly's hands and moved through the digital camera's memory to a specific picture. It was a side profile of Holly crouched down inspecting the charred remains of one of the victims. Alice then moved to another photo, this one a medium shot of Holly as she worked on collecting a skull in a container. There were a couple more like that where clearly the focus of the photo was on the doctor as she worked and not just the crime scene.

"The thing that I find weird, besides the creepiness of course, is that all the pictures involving you are actually better than most of the crime scene photos," laughed Alice. "The exposure. The depth of field. These photos are much better than most of the others."

Holly stayed silent for a moment, her brow furrowed. Alice took the camera back and Holly continued to stare off in the distance in front of her.

"I just realized this is probably more creepy than amusing for you," said Alice.

"No, it's not that…" started Holly, the corner of her mouth slowly curling into a smirk. "I don't think Booth took those."

"What?" Alice looked at Holly questioningly. "Who would have taken them?"

"Gail." Holly saw the confused look on Alice's face and shook her head. "Officer Peck was talking with Booth while he was taking the pictures. I figured she was just asking him questions. I was too focused on work to listen to what they were saying. Though this would explain why Booth seemed so annoyed with Gail by the time we were leaving."

"Peck? The blonde bombshell from 15? The one you insisted you don't have a crush on after talking about her for an hour the last time we went out drinking?"

"Don't you have a date to be on?" asked Holly.

"Nice dodge," laughed Alice.

Alice snatched Holly's phone off the desk and Holly tried to reach for it but Alice moved out of reach still messing with the phone and camera. As Holly moved to get up, Alice handed the phone back to her and Holly looked at the screen to see the pictures of her now taking up residence in her photo gallery.

"Maybe you aren't the only one with a crush, Doc." Alice smiled and walked out of the lab.


	2. Chapter 2

Holly ran her fingers through her hair and sighed as she looked at the mostly blank document open in front of her on her laptop. It had been almost an hour since she sat down to work but she just couldn't bring herself to focus. She had started out in her office, then moved to her kitchen, then finally ended up with her laptop propped up on her legs as she leaned back on the arm of her couch. And in all that time, throughout all that movement, she had maybe typed a paragraph.

The buzz of her phone vibrating on the coffee table pulled Holly from her thoughts. She glanced at the clock on her DVR. 10:51pm. Her heart skipped at the prospect of who could be texting her. Barely a handful of people knew she'd still be awake.

Lisa: Lunch. Tomorrow. I'm buying.

Holly huffed and thought about ignoring the message but rolled her eyes when she remembered that Lisa could see she'd read the message. She really needed to go back to Andriod just so she could avoid these moments with Lisa.

Holly: Okay. What's the occasion?

Lisa: I just got the client of a lifetime! Rachel's coming too. I'll tell you more tomorrow.

Holly: Can't wait.

Holly could absolutely wait. A lifetime in fact. Just another "big name", soon to have big assets, client for Lisa to show off. Not that Holly cared about people getting plastic surgery. Not only was it their body to do with as they pleased but things like breast implants actually made it easier to identify dead bodies. Especially in cases of severe corpse decomposition or destruction so in all honestly it'd make her job easier if more people had serial numbers waiting inside of them. However, she couldn't stand listening to the way Lisa talked about her clients as if they were trophies and not people.

Giving up completely on working on the paper, Holly closed her laptop and turned the TV on. She figured she might as well watch something until she was too tired to stay awake since being productive wasn't on the night's menu. It seemed like she was just too distracted lately to get much done outside of work.

As she waited for Netflix to open, Holly situated herself into a more relaxed position on the couch. Then her phone buzzed against the wood of the coffee table. Lisa was really the last person she wanted to talk to that night so she ignored it and started scrolling through her list to find something to watch. By the time she settled on something her phone was vibrating again with another text notification. Holly sighed.

"What now, Lisa? I really don't feel like reading about your latest…" Holly trailed off as she pulled her phone to her face and saw the messages weren't from Lisa.

Her heart felt like it skipped a beat.

Gail: hey, nerd. did you know that potato chips don't taste good IN the alcohol?

That text was included with a picture of a table covered with junk food and bottles of alcohol all in varying states of fullness.

Gail: OH SHIT I HOPE I DIDN'T WAKE YOU. I'M SORRY GO BACK TO SLEEP.

Gail: wait. you don't sleep. how could you lie to me like that Holly?

Holly smiled at her phone and rolled her eyes. Gail was obviously home and she and her roommates decided to get drunk.

Holly: So, if you're drunk I'm guessing that the super secret operation is over?

Gail: I'm not drunk.

Gail: maybe you're drunk.

Gail: and super secret operation went AWESOME! nabbed a gang leader. Steve and Traci surely to be bathed in metals by morning. kind of glad it's over tho 'cause I'm tired of listening to losers whine about being busted with drugs.

Gail: One of them cried, Holly. cried. It was awful.

Holly: I don't know how you made it though. It sounds dreadful. It's nice to hear from you again.

Gail: awwww Lunchbox, did you miss me? Understandable. I'm pretty cool.

Yes.

Holly: Not even a little. Do you have another stake out you can go on? Soon?

Gail: You misssssssed me. Here. I'll give you a photo you can stare longingly at next time I'm absent for a few days.

Gail sent a photo of her about to take a drink straight out of a bottle of tequila. Holly couldn't stop herself from smiling but she noticed how tired Gail looked and if that bottle had been anywhere near full before they started the blonde was probably much more drunk than her autocorrected texts were letting on.

Holly: Just how I always want to remember you.

Gail: Make sure they put it on my gravestone if anything happens to me.

Holly: I'm sure your mother will love that.

Holly tried to focus on the television instead of the amount of time that had passed since her last text. She hated the crush she knew she had on her new friend but she just couldn't stop herself from indulging in it. It was practically addicting how happy Gail made her. By the time her phone vibrated again Holly had already driven herself mad over thinking her responses and how they could have been misconstrued by a drunk Gail.

Lost in thought, Holly barely registered the action of lifting the phone and opening the message. Gail had sent a couple more pictures. They were all innocent enough in content and it wasn't like Gail was in any state of undress. However, the intense way blue eyes stared into the camera lens seemed to burn through the screen and into Holly's mind. Her cheeks burned thinking about the way her heart would race when Gail looked at her that way in person.

The next image lightened the tight feeling in Holly's chest. Gail pulled Chris into her and licked his face. Holly laughed.

Then another picture of Dov trying to push Gail away from him.

Holly felt like she was practically watching Gail's night unfold the way pictures kept coming in every couple of minutes. Occasionally she would send a text to comment on one of them just to let Gail know she was still there. She honestly didn't want Gail to stop and she thought about the conversation she had with Alice at work the previous night and the images currently saved on her phone that she definitely hadn't looked at a couple of times.

Holly: You're pretty good with a camera, officer.

Gail: Well it was the only fun class my parents would let me take because of the "professional applications of proper documentation"

Holly smiled because she could hear Gail's mocking tone in her head as she read the text.

Another image followed and this time Holly was certain that as medically impossible as it was her heart had momentarily jumped out of her chest and straight into her throat. Gail was lying back against the couch's armrest, her hair down and pulled over one shoulder, making a kissing face at the camera while staring in a way that made Holly worry she could see through time, space, and phone data.

It was a good thing that Gail kept sending pictures regardless of Holly's reaction because she was fairly certain her brain had stopped responding to reasoning for a few minutes. She couldn't think of a single witty response or even borderline flirtatious reply that wasn't her just straight up telling Gail how beautiful she was.

Thankfully all the pictures that followed were just fun images immortalizing the drunken fun the three stooges were having in their apartment and Holly truly enjoyed being included in Gail's fun despite the reality of being home alone with Netflix playing in the background. Before long, however, the images featured the boys less and Gail's room more as the blonde started to retreat into her personal space.

Holly: Sleepy?

Gail: A little. Mostly just tired of them.

Gail: And clothes

The next picture was of Gail making a face while obviously lying in bed but instead of the shirt featured in all the other photos, the top of an unbuttoned blue plaid shirt was visible. Holly swallowed hard and tried to push the feeling in her chest away but it was really hard to ignore the fact that Gail was obviously topless except for the open shirt.

The open blue plaid shirt.

The open blue plaid flannel shirt that she had been looking for all week.

Holly: Is that my shirt!?

"And is that all you're wearing?" thought Holly.

Gail: Do you want it back?

Holly: Of course I do.

"Why wouldn't I want my-"

Gail: You're welcome to come get it.

If Holly wasn't a doctor she would have sworn her heart completely stopped at the image of Gail's nearly bare chest with only the loose blue fabric of Holly's shirt barely covering her nipples. The thought of leaving a trail of kisses down the pale skin of Gail's chest made Holly have to quickly click her screen off and look away from her phone. After a very shaky breath, Holly quickly texted Gail back before her "just a" friend could send anymore heart stopping images. Holly tried to act like she hadn't even gotten the image though she was certain she'd never be able to forget she had.

Holly: Alright Gail, time for bed. But I want my shirt back.

When Holly didn't receive a reply even twenty minutes later she figured Gail had actually fallen asleep and decided to attempt to do so herself. However she had a very strong feeling that she was about to have some very frustrating dreams and wasn't going to get any meaningful sleep. And she still had Lisa's gloating lunchdate to look forward to the next day.


	3. Chapter 3

Holly followed after Rachel and Lisa as they wandered aimlessly through the mall making small talk. After they had finished lunch Lisa insisted they still spend more time together. Holly figured it was so she could continue to brag about her new fling of the week since lunch had been solely spent on her bragging about her new D-list celebrity client. Holly had to fight back the urge to roll her eyes when Lisa "accidentally" name dropped her "confidential" client.

Lately she had become very annoyed with the way her friend conducted herself professionally but since Lisa was practically like a sister to Holly she tried like always to just ignore it. Holly told herself that it was just because she was tired of Lisa talking down about her job when forensics was all Holly had ever wanted to do. It seemed like the more money Lisa started making the more comments she had about Holly's profession. It wasn't Holly's fault if Lisa only ever wanted to go to the most outrageously expensive places when they went out. They could hang out at Denny's at 2am like they did in college for all Holly cared.

"Holly?"

Snapping out of it, Holly looked up at Rachel who was turned and looking at her as they walked.

"Sorry, what?"

"I asked how work was going?"

"Oh. Great actually." Holly would lying if she said Gail hadn't come to mind when she thought about work.

"Really?" Lisa sounded skeptical. "I don't know if I'd describe working with dead bodies as great. The smell alone would make that impossible for me."

"Well, it's a good thing you're a cosmetic surgeon then," laughed Holly. "I personally love my job."

"No, you just love straight blonde cops in uniform."

Holly couldn't stop her eyes from rolling. She had absolutely gone through all those sleepless years of college so she could work as a forensic anthropologist just to get the chance to flirt with attractive police officers. Holly had only mentioned Gail a handful of times, mostly to laugh about Gail's insistence on calling her "lunchbox" but Lisa took this as a sure sign of Holly's infatuation before there even was any. And Lisa used this to tease Holly about her at any given opportunity. It was definitely why she hadn't even mentioned her previous night's text exchange with the officer to her friends.

"Hey, before you two start throwing daggers can we go in here?" Rachel pointed toward a store coming up on the left. "Anniversary is coming up and I'm looking to impress."

Holly laughed at the little wiggle of a dance Rachel did as she looked over at the excessively pink color scheme of underwear store they were headed toward.

"This is great. I can pick up something to impress the missus," said Lisa as she walked over to one of the first lingerie displays. She glanced over at Holly standing next to Rachel. "Holly, you should get something. Lord knows your Hanes are probably running thin."

Holly gave a dry laugh before wandering away from her friends. Rachel and Lisa were bound to be in the store for at least an hour trying everything they liked on and asking each other their opinions so Holly figured she might as well have fun and try a couple things on. It's not like she'd really buy any of it anyways. She picked out a couple of cute bras and let Lisa shove a few pieces of "sexy" lingerie into her arms as they headed to the dressing rooms.

The first couple of pieces she picked out were okay but definitely not something she could see herself wearing during a full day of work. They barely had any support and most of the others she picked out looked like they were along the same lines. So, Holly picked up a cute blue lace bra that Lisa had picked out and slipped it on. As she fixed the straps on her shoulders her phone went off and her heart skipped with the hope of who it could be.

Gail: I'm dying.

Holly: Good afternoon. Good to know you're alive.

Gail: Don't you know how to read? I just said I'm dying.

Holly: I'm sure you would have called if you were actually dying.

Gail: ...maybe. What are you up to? Please tell me you're also suffering because of something. It will make me feel better to not be suffering alone.

Before Holly answered she glanced up at herself in the mirror of the dressing room and smiled as an idea crossed her mind. She quickly posed and snapped a picture of herself in the bra with Snapchat. She sent it to Gail along with a message about shopping with her friends. Holly didn't expect much of a reaction from her friend but after the pictures Gail had sent the previous night she was feeling a little playful. Gail's reply came after Holly had changed into the next bra Lisa had picked out.

Gail: Any other options or…?

Holly smiled when she saw the message that Gail had replayed the snap and quickly sent another of the new bra she was wearing. She was definitely feeling nervous and exposed but it was also a kind of rush sending her friend these pictures. Although definitely not enough of a rush to send them through the more permanent texting method Gail had chosen. At least snapchat pictures were there and then gone forever so if she did make an ass of herself she could just pretend she hadn't.

"Hey, Holly. How's it going in there?" Rachel knocked before peaking into Holly's dressing room. "Oh hey that one looks great."

Rachel saw Holly holding her phone and Holly quickly tried to hide it behind her back, smiling as innocently as she could. Rachel looked behind her for Lisa before entering the dressing room and closing the door. She held her hand out and Holly sighed and handed her phone over. Rachel quickly glanced through Holly's snaps before looking up at her friend and giving her a questioning and amused look. Holly shrugged. Rachel studied her best friend for a moment before nodding and handing her phone back before leaving the dressing room. A moment later and Rachel was back and handing a couple of different bras and lingerie sets to Holly with a smile.

"Straight girls don't tend to replay snaps of their friends in lacey bras," said Rachel with a wink.

"Hey, what's going on in there?" asked Lisa.

"Nothing. Just giving Holly some more options. Come on, help me pick one of these."

When she heard her friends move back toward Rachel's dressing room, Holly sighed and thanked Carrie Fisher above that it had been Rachel that had walked in. After taking a moment to regain her composure she looked at what her friend had brought her and picked the cute red set that included a garter. She didn't try on the underwear out of comfort but she still thought she made the picture look good even with the novelty Star Wars underwear she'd chosen to wear that day.

Holly tried on another cute set and admired how it looked on her. When she checked her phone she smirked.

Holly: You know snapchat tells on you when you screenshot something right?

Gail: …

Gail: …

Gail: I have no idea what you're talking about.

Holly: Mmm hmmm. Sure.

Gail: I'm trying to be helpful Holly. I can't help you pick out sexy underwear if I've forgotten what the best options look like.

Holly: So, that was one of the best options then?

Gail: So far.

Holly: So far? I don't know if I want to send more if you're going to be taking screenshots. ;)

Gail: I'm an officer of the law Holly. I am very trustworthy.

Holly laughed and caught a glimpse of herself smiling in the mirror and paused. There was no amount of denial she could dive into, Gail had gotten so far under her skin there was no saving her without extensive surgery. Biting her lip and looking herself over for a moment Holly internally shrugged and sent off another picture. The only part of falling that ever hurts is the landing but Holly was having too much fun riding the high of the fall to care.

Another replay and another screenshot. Holly kept smiling.

Holly: Okay so between the two of those which do you think looks better?

Gail: Hmmmm. I really think I need a third option. To be absolutely sure.

Holly rolled her eyes and checked out the pile Rachel had brought her. She picked a blue set she thought looked nice and noticed the bra was sheer. With barely a second thought she changed into it and sent her last sexy snapchat picture to her friend. As she waited for an answer she changed back into the clothes she came in with and collected all the pieces she had in the room with her. After she handed them to the nice woman outside the dressing rooms she headed toward where Lisa was helping Rachel pick out a set and pulled her phone back out. A screenshot had been taken but there was no reply yet.

Holly: So what's the verdict officer? Which set do you think is the one for me?

Gail: Honestly?

Holly: No Gail, I prefer lies. Haha. Of course honestly.

Gail: You look amazing in all of them.

Holly swallowed hard to try not to smile at her phone in front of her friends and shoved the device back in her pocket to try and avoid letting herself reread Gail's comment. She forced herself to pay attention to the conversation before her and finally Lisa and Holly were able to help Rachel pick out the perfect set for impressing her husband. Lisa also bought something but Holly tried her best to not pay it much attention so she could save herself from the mental image. As they headed out of the store laughing at some joke Rachel made Holly's phone rang in her pocket and she fished it out to answer. It was Gail. Holly's smile widened.

"Hey," said Holly.

"I think they'd look better on my floor," said Gail in a low voice.

Holly's heart skipped and jumped into her throat. She looked from Lisa to Rachel but neither of them were paying attention to her.

"You should bring my shirt over later," said Holly. The offer was innocent but full of potential.

"I'll be over around 5?"

"Sounds perfect."

Holly stopped walking as she hung up with a smile and Rachel and Lisa stopped and turned when they noticed she wasn't with them anymore.

"What's up Holly?"

"Did you get called in?" asked Lisa, a hint of disappointment in her voice.

"No. But something came up. I'll text you guys later, okay?"

They both nodded and said their goodbyes. When her friends had walked further down the mall hallway Holly turned and headed back toward the store with a huge smile on her face. It looked like Holly was going to be having another interesting night with Gail. But at least there was a hint of more than just pictures on a phone screen.

* * *

Author's Note: Thank you everyone who left a review about this fic! I really appreciate positive feedback that isn't just asking for updates of my other fics. You guys really help keep me motivated to write. I hope everyone likes this chapter too. I wrote it at like 5am but I had fun with it so I hope you do too. Thanks again. 3


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